Nintendo: the Anime

[Alzrius]

...does no one remember that horrible Mario Bros. Saturady Morning Cartoon? There was the Zelda one, too, but it wasn't AS bad.

Really, Nintendo does not have a good track record when it comes to movies/TV shows...

Actually, I really really liked the Saturday morning cartoon.

And, in all honesty, that has absolutely nothing to do with this. Seriously, how could one possibly think that the American-made cartoon will be anything like an anime produced in Japan? It's not even going to be the same branch of Nintendo, nor will any of the same people be working on it. That's like saying that because one Sherlock Holmes movie was awful, they all therefore must be bad.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I had been indifferent to the cartoons when I was younger, but upon seeing them lately, I just can't sit through them anymore. Its painful.

And it does have something to do with this. Really, I'm just judging based on past experiences with Nintendo(and video games in general, honestly) getting involved with TVs and movies. Its never been worthile, IMO. And just beacuse its not made by Americans doesn't mean it won't be geared FOR Americans. There's a huge market over here that will salivate over anything anime, and just throw in the word "Nintendo" with "Anime" and you've got TONS of appeal right there no matter the quality.

...or is there something wrong with not following the crowd and praising this?

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Did someone mention Nintendo and Anime in the same sentence?

*drops out of school so he can watch cartoons/tv 24/7*

 

[WizarDru]

And it does have something to do with this. Really, I'm just judging based on past experiences with Nintendo(and video games in general, honestly) getting involved with TVs and movies. Its never been worthile, IMO. And just beacuse its not made by Americans doesn't mean it won't be geared FOR Americans. There's a huge market over here that will salivate over anything anime, and just throw in the word "Nintendo" with "Anime" and you've got TONS of appeal right there no matter the quality.

...or is there something wrong with not following the crowd and praising this?

Nothing wrong with it, but it sounds like you're painting with a really broad brush. I mean, let's consider here for a moment: if you combined all the cutscenes of Zelda: Wind Waker, for example, you'd have a great movie all by it's lonesome. Nintendo creates great characters, and very interesting stories...what they've never done is try to create actual anime from it. What they have done is allowed the US market to create some terrible TV shows from it that weren't even consistent with the actual games. That isn't the same thing as actually getting involved themselves.

I mean, consider D&D's entrance into the market, namely the D&D cartoon. Silly fun, but not really very good, and painful at times. Then there was the D&D movie. However, Scourge of Worlds was, I thought, well acted and well animated (if I tad stilted at one or two points).

As for video game to movie translations, I'd say they're currently holding a better ratio than they used to....and the only reason they aren't doing more is that the games ARE the movies, these days. Games like Vice City, Beyond Good and Evil, Halo 2 and Half-life 2 are like playing through the story of movie, sometimes with cutscenes starring 'A' list talent.

Plus, anime is now much more viable in the US market than when those shows were produced. And games like Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mario and others are much more suited to anime than to live-action movies. I consider this a great thing, if they Nintendo actually decides to follow his advice. Some of their characters are criminally underused...and if Sonic the Hedgehog can land a couple of halfways decent anime series and a movie, surely Link deserves something, right?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Plus, anime is now much more viable in the US market than when those shows were produced. And games like Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mario and others are much more suited to anime than to live-action movies. I consider this a great thing, if they Nintendo actually decides to follow his advice. Some of their characters are criminally underused...and if Sonic the Hedgehog can land a couple of halfways decent anime series and a movie, surely Link deserves something, right?

Agreed. Honestly, I'm a huge Zelda fan. Always have been, always will be. Link ownz all. I'm just weary off all of this. Why, I'm not completely sure, just am. Part of it may be that I'm finding myself growing out of anime these days. The older stuff is still great(Gundam, Macross, Astro Boy, other classics) but I just can't get into many of the new things(...except for Initial D. mmm...4th stage.)

I guess, in a way, it almost feels like they're trying to do with these big name games what they did with Pokemon. Get it out in many different forms. Great marketing strategy, but I just don't want to see that kind of thing happening with these classic games. Yep, I'm probably worrying too much and they'll likely be great. Good! I honestly hope they are, but I can't seem to go into this with an optimistic attitude like I used to be able to.

Yet again, I must say that I miss those days where anime was tough to find. The overexposure has gotten to me, and it probably plays a large part in seeing things like this. I'm too much the diaglo of anime these days.

 

[WizarDru]

Yet again, I must say that I miss those days where anime was tough to find. The overexposure has gotten to me, and it probably plays a large part in seeing things like this. I'm too much the diaglo of anime these days.

Well, I for one don't miss spending $35 for a second generation VHS copy from laserdisc, with no subtitles, bought from a guy who made me feel like I was working with a drug dealer.

There is more and more anime out there that I'm not that interested in...but back in the 80s, I watched a lot of stuff that was just OK, because the supply was so limited. I can actually pick and choose the anime I want to watch. I love the older stuff, too, such as the second Cyborg 009 series or the original and still best Captain Harlock...but I also love many new titles, such as Gantz, Samurai 7, Samurai Champloo, Last Exile, and Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex. Plus now I can share shows like Dragon Drive, Sugar, and Shaman King with my kids. So it's all good.

I remember, with fondness, the old Dragonquest TV series (and not the terrible dubbed version that made it in the US). That's the sort of thing I'm talking about, and what Nintendo could do.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Well, I for one don't miss spending $35 for a second generation VHS copy from laserdisc, with no subtitles, bought from a guy who made me feel like I was working with a drug dealer.

That was the fun of it! Honestly, though, I was too young to have but a year or so of getting anime like that. Before that, I got them through an uncle that's more of an older brother. Ahh, but for some reason I enjoyed the whole 'underground' feel to it. Especially knowing it was completely innocent. I still actually HAVE some of those old things buried away in the closet. Tempted to go dig them out for nostalgia's sake...

Gah! I nearly diagloed and commented about kids these days and that being the one true way to watch anime...help me...I'm too young to wish for the good old days!

I remember, with fondness, the old Dragonquest TV series (and not the terrible dubbed version that made it in the US). That's the sort of thing I'm talking about, and what Nintendo could do.

Yep, they could. Again, I hope they do. At least if they do I'll be happily surprised.

 

[Alzrius]

I remember, with fondness, the old Dragonquest TV series (and not the terrible dubbed version that made it in the US). That's the sort of thing I'm talking about, and what Nintendo could do.

I remember getting up early Sunday mornings just to watch the dubbed version of that show. I was young then, and didn't even know that animation from other countries existed. I just kept wondering why the show was so much better than other "cartoons" except for the fact that they couldn't get the mouth movements right.

Ah, to be young again...

 

[Alzrius]

And just beacuse its not made by Americans doesn't mean it won't be geared FOR Americans. There's a huge market over here that will salivate over anything anime, and just throw in the word "Nintendo" with "Anime" and you've got TONS of appeal right there no matter the quality.

For the record, that part about not being made by Americans meaning that it isn't made for Americans is exactly what it means. While Yamauchi-sama mentioned he thought such an anime would be good overseas, don't kid yourself into thinking that this is made with Americans in mind.

This ties into the fact that the anime market over here is, compared to Japan, puny. Really, it's to be expected, since there's no way the huge amount of anime released in Japan every year can hope to all make it across the sea and be popular here. Doraemon is, IIRC, still being produced there, despite being over twenty years old, and Pokemon is still an incredible hit there in terms of anime. Simply put, for the anime industry, America isn't that much of a lucrative deal...it's not inconsiderable, but nothing major.